By Max Sargent

The world of cannabis concentrates is growing, and people are falling in love with these super-pure cannabis products. The purest of all is known as cannabis distillate, which contains almost 100% cannabinoids and forsakes all terpenes.

Some people love it; others are less sure. In this article, we look into this strange and truly modern product.


What Is Cannabis Distillate and How Is It Made?

Cannabis distillate products are a fascinating new form of cannabis that promise to change the way that cannabis is used in certain scenarios. Distillates are made by vaporizing cannabis material, then collecting and cooling (distilling) that vapor. This process is free from impurities and results in products that are about 99% pure cannabinoids.

Terpenes, which give cannabis its aromas and flavours, are destroyed in the process, meaning that a pure distillate product is odourless and flavourless. For some uses, this is helpful—but for recreational users, this can be quite a drawback. However, terpenes can be extracted by other means and then added to the final distillate product later.

Cannabis Distillate

Due to the nature of the process, people can engineer specific cannabis products with cannabinoid and terpene ratios to suit their desired use. So we no longer need to grow strains with particular cannabinoid and terpene ratios; rather, we can extract and distil the compounds we want, and mix them together later.

Some purists are against such an approach, but others see it as paving the way for a new, fine-tuned way to use cannabis that could be particularly useful for medicinal cannabis users.

Distilling Cannabis at Home

Though this may all sound very high tech, the process of distilling weed is actually fairly simple and straightforward, and you can do it at home as long as you have the right equipment.

The following process is simplified, but it should give you an idea of how to make cannabis distillate at home.

  1. Extract trichomes: First, you’ll need to remove the trichomes from the plant matter. You can do this either with a sieve (as is done to make kief) or with cold water or solvent extraction.
  2. Winterisation: Now you need to store the trichomes at -20 to -60ºC for 24 hours. For this, you’ll need specialist equipment, as normal freezers do not drop to these temperatures. This part of the process further isolates cannabinoids from other compounds such as lipids and chlorophyll.
  3. Decarboxylate: After being filtered through a rotary evaporator, you now need to decarboxylate your product at 110ºC for 40 minutes. This activates the THC, meaning that your body can make use of it.
  4. Distil: You can now distil what you have left using vacuum pressure and heat. What remains will be up to 99% pure, and will be odourless and tasteless.

With the correct equipment, this process isn’t too difficult. But as you can see, you won’t be able to just pop into your kitchen and start right away; you’ll need to buy some fairly particular equipment first. Not only is the outlay for this quite high, but you’ll also need a lot of bud if you want to make any meaningful amount or cannabis distillate at home.

Distillate Cannabis at Home

What Are the Benefits of Cannabis Distillate?

Cannabis distillate is a very pure product with some real advantages:

  • Incredibly pure concentration of cannabinoids
  • Extract can be added to all manner of products
  • Versatility of the product means it can be adjusted to desired use
  • Flavour can be added
  • Great for cooking when you don’t want the flavour of cannabis
  • Potentially very useful for medical users
  • THC distillate is very potent
  • Process removes pesticides and impurities

Drawbacks of Cannabis Distillate

But it’s not without its drawbacks either. Here are some of the potential cons of distillate:

  • Some people lament the loss of terpenes
  • Some aren’t happy about the idea of engineered cannabis products
  • Products are expensive
  • Difficult process compared to making other concentrates

Live Resin vs Distillate

Live resin and distillate are two fairly distinct products, though they share similarities too.

The major difference between the two is this: live resin is made to specifically enhance and show off the terpene profile of cannabis, whereas distillate renders the final product entirely odourless/flavourless. For this reason, the two products often appeal to different people within the cannabis community.

Another difference is that live resin could be considered full spectrum, as it contains a full array of the terpenes and cannabinoids from the plant material from which it was sourced. Distillate, on the other hand, is not full spectrum as it lacks terpenes and other non-cannabinoid phytochemicals.

But otherwise, they share commonalities too. Both live resin and distillate result in a cannabis concentrate with a very high percentage of cannabinoids—much higher than cannabis flower. Both also involve freezing. With live resin, freshly harvested cannabis flower is flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, before undergoing butane extraction. Distillate, however, is frozen after the trichomes have been extracted.

Liv Resin vs Distillate

Rosin vs Distillate

Cannabis rosin is a concentrate made by compressing cured cannabis flowers between two hot surfaces, such as hair straighteners. The resin then runs out, cools, and can be collected and used like any other waxy cannabis concentrate.

With that in mind, rosin and distillate are quite distinct. Rosin is a basic concentrate made using heat and pressure, with no solvents or freezing involved. As such, it is also one of the easiest concentrates to make at home. The potency and purity of cannabis rosin varies, and it still contains some terpenes, though many can be destroyed in the heating process.

Distillate vs Wax

Wax is a form of BHO (butane hash oil), which is a solvent-based concentrate. It is soft and waxy, as the name suggests. Wax generally contains a full spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids, making it popular among users with a discerning palate.

How to Use Cannabis Distillate

THC distillate lends itself to a number of ingestion methods, particularly vaporizing and edibles. Excitingly, its unique qualities also make it perfect for developing into pharmaceutical products.

Can You Smoke THC Distillate?

You can smoke cannabis distillate, but it’s not the best use for this product. As distillate is so pure, combustion would be a waste; you would need to mix it with something like tobacco or cannabis flower in order to burn it, which would in turn drive down the purity of your distillate. In this case, it would be better to simply smoke bud or more rudimentary forms of hash.

Vaping THC Distillate

Vaping THC Distillate

Vaping is one of the best ways to use THC distillate. By calibrating a vaporizer to the optimal temperature for the specific cannabinoid profile, users can really make the most of a given distillate product. That being said, the totally flavourless experience can be somewhat odd to those used to flavourful hits.

Edibles

Distillate also lends itself well to edibles. For one thing, it is already decarboxylated, meaning it can be added directly to a recipe.

More importantly, the flavourless nature of these products means they open the door for chefs to imbue their food with the effects of cannabis, without adding any of that weed-y flavour. Therefore, you can essentially cook up anything you’d like, and needn’t to worry about cannabis affecting the taste of your dish.

Pharmaceuticals

The pure nature of distillates means that they are perfect for pharmaceutical use. While full-spectrum cannabis has potential medical applications as well, its consistency from product to product makes it hard to standardise for specific therapeutic use. With distillate, however, drugs can be developed with consistent concentrations of certain cannabinoids, opening up a whole new world of clinical possibilities.

Topicals and Cosmetics

It’s also possible to use distillate products to make cannabis topicals and cosmetics, though it's not the best use for such a particular product. The only reason that you’d use a distillate over some other extract is that, as it is free from terpenes, your topical or cosmetic could be fragranced to your liking.

Distillate Dabs

It’s also possible to treat your distillate like dabs—a form of vapeable concentrate consumed via a water pipe. The vapor is pulled through water and then inhaled, like smoke from a bong. While this will make for a potent psychoactive experience for THC lovers, the lack of flavour is considered by some to be a bit of a drawback.

Distillate Tincture

Distillate can also be used to make sublingual tinctures. For users who want high-quality, flavourless cannabis products that are easy to use and travel with, a sublingual tincture is a good option. The process of creating distillate tinctures is also very easy, and thus feasible for amateurs.

CBD Distillate

As you can distil at different temperatures, it’s just as possible to make CBD distillate. These products have all the same benefits, drawbacks, and uses of a THC distillate, except they come loaded with almost 100% CBD.

The main applications of CBD distillate appear to be in supplements and pharmaceuticals, as CBD is continually being studied for its therapeutic efficacy.

Is THC Distillate Safe?

Generally, yes, THC distillates are safe. As they are almost totally pure, it’s about as safe as inhaled cannabinoids can be. That being said, vaping does come with some health concerns, so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s completely risk free.

The main risk of using distillates is their strength; you might find you become uncomfortable at even very small doses. So if you choose to use a THC distillate, start small and proceed with caution!

DisclaimerExtracts, concentrates, and oils used for dabbing are among the strongest cannabis products available. Proceed with caution when using substances high in THC. Start with low doses and slowly increase over time to build up a tolerance to the compound.

Remember: Set and Setting will help you deal with various situations.

Stay Cultivated.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: